Goffstown Soapbox

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Food for thought 3

Been very busy lately but here is a nice quote to think about.

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."Patrick Henry

Saturday, May 21, 2005

They are at it again

Hi, been a little Busy lately, and have had little time to get my thoughts out of my head.

Our wondrous and magnanimous state government is at it again.

They have been busy these last couple of weeks legislating away the rights of the people. The latest bill to get by the senate was a helmet law for bicycles under age sixteen, not motorcylces mind you bicycles. As if the police don't have enough to do already now they will have to write tickets to 15 year olds for not wearing a helmet. Lets get real here!! The parents are not the ones to decide if the child should wear the helmet, it now the states responsibility. I only heard one state senator that spoke out against this law. He said it was just another extension of the nanny state, and he is right. The senators for this bill all claimed it would save the state money in medical bills picked up by the state. I see this as another way for the state to make money, to fund other crazy ideas like this one.

The next item they tried to pass was a state ADA act fashioned after the glorious ADA Act passed during the Clinton Administration. This act goes a little farther though. Any employer with six or more employees must either make accommodations for the handicapped or explain to the state why it would not feasible or prudent to do so. It would have put a lot of people out of business. Look at it this way, have you ever seen an electrician, carpenter, security tech, dry wall hanger, or heating and AC tech. in a wheelchair. If this law had not stalled with a 12 to 12 tie vote in the senate, companies that do this type of work in the state would have to justify not making their business accessible to the handicapped. Thankfully this bill has stopped, but I am sure we will see it again real soon.

Then, we have the new easy pass system. Yahoo!! They are trying to take the token discount from commuters, 50 percent, and lower the discount for easy pass users to 30 percent. Does this make any sense to you? I do not understand this logic. If you do not use easy pass you must now pay the full price of the toll. And the easy pass user get his transponder for 5 bucks and a 30 percent discount. The transponder costs forty dollars, so the state is willing to take a loss of thirty five dollars just to entice users of easy pass. Flawless logic isn't it? The real kicker is there is going to be only one easy pass lane at the the toll booth stations and the rest are cash and exact change. Why would any one use easy pass? Tokens are so much easier you actually have at least six cash lanes to choose, making the traffic move quicker. I can just see the problems, imagine getting stuck in a line trying to get to a cash lane but you have to wait for a line of cars to go through the easy pass lane. I don't really have a problem with easy pass, for people that want to use it, the state should not absorb a loss implementing it. If a person wants to use easy pass, they should pay for the transponder in full. 30 percent discount is fair after the transponder is paid off. And the discount should not apply to out of state easy pass users.

Saturday, May 07, 2005

The Lefts Latest Buzz Word

"Dominionist", "Dominionism": Ominous words aren'tthey? You almost expect the bogeyman to jump out ofthe dark corner. That is the idea behind these words,to scare people.

The strange thing about these words is that they donot exist in Noah Webster's dictionary, or any otherdictionary for that matter. These words were made upby people that want to demonize someone they disagreewith.

I "googled" the word "dominionist" and got 19000hits. ninety five percent of those hits were from leftleaning secularists.

These people are secularists and leftists. I lookedthese up and they are in Webster's dictionary.Secularist means: Religious skepticism orindifference. and Leftist means: Belief in or supportof the tenets of the political left.

"Dominionist' is the latest buzz word for the leftleaning secularist to use against the "religiousright", conservatives, and people that areconstitutionalists in order for them to seem evil ormisguided. It is used to bludgeon and destroy anyonethat does not subscribe to their belief in thecollective. It is used to put down the free thinker.It is used against anyone that believes in an absoluteright and wrong.

The people that bring us this word "Dominionist", arethe same people that believe we went to war with Iraqfor oil. They believe business and free markets areevil. They believe in the redistribution of wealth.They believe that health care should be managed by thegovernment. They think "it takes a village" to raisea child. They have feelings on political issues,instead of thoughts.

I noticed that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia,a constructionist, and Chief Justice WilliamRehnquist, an "old school" conservative, have beenlumped into the dominionist category.

Secularism has permeated our society so much, thatnot only should politicians not be morally guided bytheir religion or beliefs. Doctors and pharmacistsshould also check their religion and morals at thedoor when they come to work. The doctor or pharmacistis a private citizen, they have the same rights as youor I. They take an oath to do no harm, not give uptheir beliefs. A small business, a family ownedPharmacy or even a independent doctor's office, hasevery right to do business how they please and run itaccording to their religious beliefs if they wish todo so. If your doctor or pharmacist does not agreewith you or your beliefs, you can always find one thatdoes.

Did you know, when you check into a hospital nomatter how serious or minor, you are always asked yourreligious faith? So, you can be treated by a doctor ofsimilar faith if it matters to the person beingtreated.

Secularists believe that evolution or Darwinismshould be the only thing taught in biology class. Theevolution theory is only a theory and as yet unprovenwith empirical scientific evidence. We have yet to seea new species evolve from an old one. They complainthat we can't include "Intelligent Design" because itis not a scientific theory. In effect evolution theory is also a religion which means, at its simplest,believing in something with no proof. I believe bothshould be taught as theories, not as fact.

Most, not all, secularists subscribe to moralrelativism, meaning there is no right or wrong onlyshades of gray. No good or evil only victims andoppressors.

These secularists would have you believe we are onlya step away from becoming a theocracy. When in truthwe are only a step away from becoming a completesocialist state. Their ideals hold more true to theideals of socialism, than democracy. Democracy is not a correct statement, we are in trutha constitutional republic with democratically electedrepresentatives.

Secularists would also have you believe that our lawis not founded on Judeo-Christian values. Ourconstitution was written with this in mind. Englishcommon law is the foundation of our adversarial systemof law. English Common law is firmly founded on theseprinciples. Common law was brought here during thecolonial period, so it should not be surprising thatit has become entrenched in our law.

Christians, Conservatives, and Libertarians are allcalling for a return to the principles this countrywas founded upon. To leave the socialist agendabehind, and move forward with a true republican formof government.For the individual to take responsibility for himself,not the government. To quit governing with feelings,and return to reason.

After, writing all this I came up with a little test,because you might not fit into progressive secularsociety, and might be ostracized. I borrowed a littlebit from Jeff Foxworthy, I hope he forgives me:

You might be a Dominionist if:

If you believe in a strict interpretation of theconstitution, you might be a dominionist.

If you believe government should return to itsconstitutional foundations, you might be adominionist.

If you go to church more than two times a year andvote, you might be a dominionist.

If you believe in Creationism, you might be adominionist.

If you believe taxes should be lower, you might be adominionist.

If you believe judges should not use foreign law asguide for adjudicating cases, you might be adominionist.

If you believe government should take less of a rollin your life, you might be a dominionist.

If you don't have a collectivist mentality, you mightbe a dominionist.

If you don't leave your morals at home, you might bea dominionist.

If you believe in absolutes, such as right and wrong,you might be a dominionist.

If you own a gun, you might be a dominionist.

So, if you agree with or subscibe to any of thesestatements watch out. You might be next to have this"Domininionist" label thrown at you.

"Redneck" would also have fit, because that is howreligious and conservative people are portrayed by theleft. I know you have heard it: close minded countrybumpkins who are undereducated and don't get modernprogressive life.

Isn't it odd that I used ten different "ism" and"ist" words, in a political or idealogical context,and all of them are defined in Webster's dictionary?

I come from a line of thinking that; words meanthings. The politically correct crowd is always tryingto redefine or create words with new meanings.

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Social Security Disinformation

There is so much disinformation circulating,concerning this subject. And this letter is eitherpart of that campaign or from someone that is poorlyinformed as to the crisis this nation is facing.

Let me begin by stating three indisputablefacts. 1)Social Security will be paying out more than it brings in 2017. 2)Social Security will be bankrupt by 2042. 3)Bush's plan does not affect people 55 or older.There is no denying these facts.

Something must be done about this now or no one thathas payed into social security will receive anythingfrom it. That is a bad return on an investment, don't youthink? If it is looked at logically social security is notsecure and won't be unless something is done. Peoplealso seem to have lost sight of what social securityis, it is a retirement supplement to defray the costsof living with no active source of income. --Read theSocial Security Act sometime, it is very interestingreading--If the "baby boomers" and seniors will quit acting soinfantile, they will see that by the time theirchildren and grandchildren retire, those generationswill be paying for huge for increases in the SocialSecurity tax and cuts in benefits. Are they so selfishthat they can't see that their children andgrandchildren will exist just to pay Social Securitytaxes?This is a very unfair burden to the youngergenerations. I know I don't want my daughter paying50% or more of her income to Social Security.What does this quote have to do with Social Security?"We've seen wiped-out retirement funds; from Enron andLucent to Healthsouth and WorldCom: Millions of stock/retirement dollars evaporated." This has nothing to dowith Social Security, these are 401k's etc. I believeanyone who invested in these companies signedsomething to the effect of: their investment is notguaranteed a profit and could lose money. They did notdecide how your Social Security money is invested.These companies or companies like them will not berunning our personal retirement accounts. Thesecompanies' executives are being investigated, chargedand convicted for the crimes they committed.

President Bush misspoke about the the T bills. T billswere an incorrect term. This is what I believe he wastrying to convey.

Congress for years now has been taking money from thesocial security trust fund and using it for thegeneral budget. And they(Congress) have issued worthlessIOU's, because Congress has no intention of paying themoney back.

The private stock market is not a risky gamble. It isa gamble, but life is a gamble. Take a look at thelong term growth of the stock market. It has grownconsistently and steadily in the last 50 years.Yes, there economic downturns but they are short livedand sporadic. All in all a good vehicle for long terminvestment. If it is looked at with the short term inmind it is quite volatile. But retirement is beingdiscussed here and the long term model should alwaysbe considered, not the short term.

President Bush's plan for Social Security might not bethe best plan. It is the only plan I have heard, and Ihave yet to hear one idea from the opposition. Insteadof bemoaning how wrong Bush's plan is, why not putsome viable alternatives on the table for discussion.And by alternatives I don't mean tax increases.All I keep hearing is how we can't change thecornerstone of FDR's New Deal.

Personally, I would like to see the Social SecurityAct, the Welfare Act and any other entitlement actrepealed. Congress and the President have noconstitutional authority to enact legislation for theexpress purpose of taking money from one group andgiving it to another. This power is not enumeratedonce in the Constitution. If all this was cut from thebudget, deficits would be non-existent.

Friday, April 29, 2005

EZ Pass in NH

It goes on about how tokens are an obsolete technology, and how NH is behind the curve for electronic toll collection. EZ pass is a great technology. Tokens should not be done away with yet.People should realize that there are draw backs to this technology as well. First is there could be a computer glitch at the toll booth and the toll is not subtracted from the account, triggering a ticket for not paying a toll. The next draw back is with the data collected from the EZ Pass. Did you know that that can tell if you were speeding? It is a real simple process, when you enter the toll booth it subtracts the toll and stamps it with a time and date, the same thing happens when you leave the toll road. They then compare the two times and can determine how fast you traveled from point A to point B. Cute huh!! So now you can be fined for speeding with out a police officer present. What if the clocks are our of synchronization at the two toll booths? It does happen.Do people really want this kind of intrusion into their lives? The government will also know exactly where you are or at the least where you go.EZ Pass is just another way to tax people through the back door. And I for one would rather the toll collection system stay in the stone age.The reason for the delay in implementation is the highway dept. wants to get rid of the discounts for commuters. Which is bad in the long run, more traffic will be diverted to side roads and then they will not be collecting as many tolls and may consider raising them. Not very smart is it? And if the EZ Pass is discounted after a few years they will decide that they are not making enough so the eliminate or reduce the discount.All in all there are a lot of problems with the EZ Pass system.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Goffstown Budget Insanity

Hi all, I was just rereading the articles that had passed during the last town meeting. Also was reading a history of past tax increases. And have been completely amazed at the slow incremental increases to the tax rate for this town.

It is high time the voters of this town stand up to this ever increasing taxation. This town needs to get back to the basics and leave the fluff alone.The town is approving budgets well beyond the actual estimates of revenues; -2004: $14,828,949 and 2005:$16,161,550 - That is 2 million dollar increase in just one year.

But that is not the kicker for this, estimated revenues are only $7,981,900 this year, and last year $7,159,170. If we keep spending like this this town will be broke very soon. Town budgets should not be run on a deficit. Very fuzzy math going on if you ask me. The operating budget should not be higher than the estimated revenues for the year period. It is time to start cutting spending. One easy way to curtail this growth of the budget is for the voters not to approve it in the first place. By not approving the budget spending is frozen at the last year's level; stopping the need for a tax increase. Then it is time for the people to hold the town governments feet to fire to find ways to reduce spending back to where the town is operating within its means.

On to other waste of tax dollars, we have been spending roughly 1.8 million dollars per year for road improvements. That is also for last year as well. What improvements have been made? Several dead end streets were repaved, when it was not needed at the time. A small section of Shirley Hill Road was repaved. The roads that actually need repair have been neglected over the past two years. I expect better planning and use of these dollars when it costs 1.8 million a year. It is a waste to repair a road that does not need it.

Another waste is appropriating $15000 for the Goffstown Main Street Program. Towns should not be susidizing non profit organizations. This for the non profit to do by raising money through donations, sales etc. $15000 adds up quick. If townhall wishes to help this non-profit they should consider tax breaks and other things that do not affect the pocket book of the taxpayer. The taxpayer should not be forced to susidize an organization.

The school budget and spending must also be brought under control. The people cannot support the constant increases from the School district. They could have come up with a better way to implement kindergarten for starters. Especially after having it rammed down our throats by a few people. There are many areas of their budget that could also be reined in to stop the constant raising of taxes. Another way to curtail the costs of schools is to make the school board a nonsalaried position. The board members also need to remember they are not spending their money they are spending our money. There is no need for a capital reserve fund, if they have money left over from their budget it should be redirected back to the taxpayers of this town and taxes adjusted so they do not overcharge again.

Common sense will go a long way toward making this town affordable and livable. Lack of common sense and respect for the hard working people of this town will lead to sky rocketing taxes, a town going broke, and people moving away from the town.M Loveless

Florida has done something right for once

It is amazing a law like this had to be passed by the legislature there, but it is a start. Did you know the we( the citizens of New Hampshire) have always had the right to defend our property and lives from the time we ratified our state constitution? We were so obsessed with the right to defend ourselves we had it written into our constitution, not once but twice. I am very surprised that other states were not concerned with this.

The idea of having to retreat from someone threatening your life is an absurd notion. People tend to believe we only need the police department to protect its citizenry. When has a police officer been around to actually stop a crime as it is happening? The police are a reactionary force, always arriving after the crime has happened. Then they get around to the work of bringing the criminal to justice. This is fine and they should continue this work, but if a person is surprised what is he to do?

The gun control nuts are already speaking out against this law. Say it will "create a "Wild West" mentality in public, where residents may shoot first and ask questions later." Why not shoot first and ask questions later? If some breaks into my house they will be met with a hail of gunfire, then I will ask why they broke in. And the answer is simple, they broke in to either do me and my family harm or they were going to steal my stuff( which I work very hard for).

If you ask me I would opt for the wild west mentality. Crime will be reduced, because the burglar, mugger etc. will not know if he is going to die.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

More Food for Thought

Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil in its worst state an in tolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamities is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer!

-- from Thomas Paine's Common Sense

I was on a website rereading Common Sense. And Thought this would be a fitting quote to post. Did you know that the schools really don't spend any time on this old pamphlet? I asked my daughter about it the other day and she did not even know what I was talking about. I guess it is too radical for the nanny state to teach to the moldable minds of today's children. I also found out that they do not really teach the Constitution. Ohh, they go over the basics and then pick and choose from the Bill of Rights. I asked my daughter about this and she could only tell me about the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th. After hearing this I decided to have a talk with this teacher. When I confronted her about this her reasoning was the rest were not as important and she had limited time to cover the material. (Needless to say I went off the deep end on this). I explained to her that all ten of the Bill of Rights was all important and all children should learn them. Many brave men fought and died for the rights laid out in the Constitution, and it is a disservice to those brave souls to do anything other than teach it in its entirety. I ended up getting nowhere with this teacher. I wrote letters to principal, school board, and any one in a position of authority to no avail. Then I set my daughter down and we read the constitution in its entirety and I explained what every article meant, and I hope it has stuck with her.